How CSPA changed my life

“To say that CSPA changed my life is an understatement. The connections I’ve made, the bonds I’ve created, and the skills I’ve mastered over those 12 days are unlike any other educational workshop I have experienced. In fact, I learned more about journalism in those two weeks than I did when I wrote for my high school newspaper for two years.” Roselyn Romero, CSPA Class of 2018

The day after my 18th birthday, my dad forwarded me an email that read:

Roselyn, congrats: You have been accepted to the 2018 CSPA/Cal Poly Journalism Workshop in San Luis Obispo, which runs from Sunday, July 8, to Friday, July 20.

Initially, I didn’t believe it. On the California Scholastic Press Association website, the program describes itself as the “most prestigious high school journalism workshop in the nation for more than 60 years.” To be accepted into a workshop with such distinguished magnitude simultaneously terrified and astounded me.

Three months later, I packed my luggage to the brim with enough clothes, snacks, and supplies for 12 days. My family and I drove from our humble home in suburban Oxnard to the hilly ranges of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s campus. With the help of my dad, I lugged my bags…